Michael Vick. Has he recovered or will
he relapse? Sure he’s the guy you want to watch, but is he the guy
you want leading your team? I wrote an article last week in the Washington
Post last week (http://views.washingtonpost.com/theleague/panelists/2010/09/can-vick-return-to-form-boadu.html)
urging people chill on Mike Vick.
I grew up watching Vick. He is “our”
quarterback. But he’s also our overly talented knucklehead cousin
that you just wonder if he’ll ever “get it” and deep down you
just don’t trust him. If someone shows you who they are, believe ‘em.
We are about to see who Michael Vick is. Is he new changed man or the
same dude in ATL.
Let me get this straight also, as bad
as it sounds, I could care less about the dog fighting. It was a crime
and cruel and yes he deserved to be punished, but I’m over it. What
I’m not over were his inconsistent days in Atlanta. Highlights of
his ATL days will tell you God gave Vick an athletic gene cheat code
when he was born. But stats(75.0 QB rating in Atlanta) and a win loss
record (34-26-1) will tell you that Michael Vick was average or inconsistent,
you choose your adjective.
The Vick we see now, this “new Vick”
is on fire. He single handedly brought his team back in the Packers
game in Week 1. He torched the Lions, who yes they suck, but Vick still
dominated when he was supposed to. His 2010 stat line after 6 quarters
of football reads, 64% completion percentage, 459 yards, 3tds, no picks
giving him a stupid 105.5 QB rating. He’s got the hot hand right now
and you never take the ball out of someones hand when their on a streak.
Sucks for Kevin Kolb who has a knife in his back from Andy Reid, but
such is life.
It’s now or never for “our” quarterback.
Vick wasn’t exactly setup to win in Atlanta. He was changing coaches
and coordinators like draws, still learning to be an NFL QB, and had
Roddy White and Michael Jenkins dropping the ball, the soap, the baby
and anything and everything else they could possibly never get their
hands on. But we can’t let Mike off the hook, he was inconsistent
point blank, and admitted that he didn’t work hard in Atlanta.
“There was a lot more I could
have done off the field and in the film room that could have elevated
my game to a different level,” Vick said. “I was complacent
at the time, somewhat lazy, and I settled for mediocrity. I thought
what I was doing was enough. Just imagine what I could have been doing
if I really would have been applying myself. That’s a regret I have.”
In Philly, Vick has a great offensive
mind in Andy Reid, LeSean McCoy is one of the most underrated backs
in the league, and Desean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin..pick your poison.
He’s got all the opportunity in the world to succeed in Philly if
he has truly recovered from his lazy, rely on natural talent, and make
poor decisions off the field ways. Just keep in mind that he’s playing
for the same coach that put a knife in Kevin Kolb’s back and for the
same fans that boo’d Santa Claus and never appreciated Donovan McNabb.
Who is Michael Vick? Will he relapse
back into inconsistency or has he fully recovered ready to be an elite
quarterback like the Mannings (Peyton), Bradys, and Brees’ of the
world which is where he belongs. For Michael Vick, it’s relapse or
recovery…in due time we’ll see.
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